


Escape Hatch

by faeleverte



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Other, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), completely unconnected to any other of my fics, the Barton Farm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-30 13:37:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3938797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faeleverte/pseuds/faeleverte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“But I have a kind of a favor to ask of you. I’m sorry to give you so little warning, but I’m coming in fast. I have someone I need to leave with you for a few days.”</p><p>“I, uh…” Laura looked around the kitchen. At the dishes on the table and the crayons spread across the floor in the corner. At the cabinet doors left open where the baby had begun exploring, strewing mixing bowls and cookie sheets and cans across the floor. And then she thought of the dangers that would be following someone that Nick needed to hide, what kind of things would make him put someone so far off the grid. “Of course, Nick. For however long you need.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Escape Hatch

**Author's Note:**

> Given without commentary, unless you have any questions for me. Thanks for reading.

Laura leaned on the counter, hands dripping with soap and water, staring out the window. She'd finally gotten the baby down for a nap, and the other children were off… somewhere. Doing something. Who knew. At least the house was quiet for a minute or two.

_bzzt bzzt bzzt_

She jerked backwards a step as her cell phone began vibrating on the windowsill, drips of water falling from her fingertips to the worn linoleum under her feet as her hands left the sink. After quickly swiping her hands on the dish towel, she grabbed the phone to check the ID. 

“Hey, Nick!” She answered brightly. “What’s up?” She tried to bite her tongue-- she _did_ \-- but the next words slipped out anyway. “Is Clint okay?”

“He’s fine. Still at the Initiative doing training. Not much harm can come to him there.” Nick’s usual drawl was worn and stretched thin. “But I have a kind of a favor to ask of you. I’m sorry to give you so little warning, but I’m coming in fast. I have someone I need to leave with you for a few days.”

“I, uh…” Laura looked around the kitchen. At the dishes on the table and the crayons spread across the floor in the corner. At the cabinet doors left open where the baby had begun exploring, strewing mixing bowls and cookie sheets and cans across the floor. And then she thought of the dangers that would be following someone that Nick needed to hide, what kind of things would make him put someone so far off the grid. “Of course, Nick. For however long you need.”

“Thank you.” His voice turned scratchy with relief. “And I’m looking forward to introducing them to you. This one is someone…” He paused to sigh, a clear release of tension. “They're very special to me.”

____

“Buckle up, baby.” Nick reached up to flip a couple of switches as they cleared a mountain, heading toward two specks that might be buildings in the center of the valley that spread out beneath them.

“No.” Zeg leaned harder against the back of his seat, fingers inching under the straps of his safety harness as their palm splayed over his chest. “You can land this thing safely, and we won’t be away from you. Not yet, love. Not yet.”

Nick patted the back of their hand as the specks resolved into a rambling farmhouse, white fading to yellow, green shutters in need of a fresh coat of paint, and a barn in no better shape than the house. 

“Then at least hold on to something.” Nick shook his head, and Zeg chuckled, making it as throaty and seductive as they could. 

They leaned down to let their breath puff across his shaved scalp as they answered.

“Oh, we _are_ holding on, Nick.” Their fingers curled against the leather of his jacket, pressing hard into the still-firm muscles beneath. “We’re never letting go.”

The quinjet settled with a gentle bump, and Zeg stepped back to let Nick rise. They kissed him softly, and followed him to the rear of the small craft. Nick collected the larger of Zeg’s two bags, and Zeg hefted the smaller tote onto their shoulder, taking Nick’s hand as he held it out. He led them down the hatch and across a wide spread of roughly-mowed grass toward the house where a woman stood on the porch, arms folded over her chest as she watched them approach.

Zeg waited patiently at the bottom of the steps when Nick dropped their hand and bounded up the stairs to sweep the woman into his arms. If the way her hands clutched a bit proprietarily at his shoulders bothered them, they weren’t going to let it show. 

This woman was married to Hawkeye, and surely one hero in her life was more than enough. Nick's fondness for her showed in the tender way his arms surrounded her, pulling her to his chest protectively. Zeg tried to swallow down a small flash of hurt that he had never mentioned this person who was so obviously dear to him.

“And this, Laura,” Nick turned, one arm still around Laura’s square shoulders to hold a hand down to Zeg. They started up, reaching for his fingers automatically. They never refused an opportunity to touch him. “This is my Waarzegster. Zeg, Laura Barton.”

Zeg released Nick’s fingers to shake the work-roughened hand held out to them, hesitation melting away in the welcome displayed by the firmness of the grip and the warmth of Laura's smile. 

“Pleased to meet you... Waarzegster, was it?”

“Just Zeg will do, Mrs. Barton.” Zeg waved a hand to include the clouds in the sky, the rolling hills that cradled the small farm, and the mountains in the distance. “Your view is lovely. Thank you for sharing it with us, for sharing your safety with us.”

“Just Laura, please. Mrs. Barton makes me feel much too old.” Her smile became wry, but there was a tightness around the edges, tightness that Zeg assumed had to do with the sudden appearance of an unknown entity on her porch.

“Z’s useless in the kitchen, terrible with children, and probably unequipped to help with anything on the farm," Nick teased. "But they’ll keep you safe, amuse you with stories of far off places, and be something nice to look at for a few days.” Nick turned and looped his arm casually around Zeg’s waist, pulling them close enough to rest his lips lightly against their cheek. He spoke against their skin, making them shiver and lean closer. “I’ll be back as soon as the threat is neutralized, baby”

“Ignore him, please. We can assist you in any way you require while we’re here.” They turned to press a quick kiss to Nick’s lips, taking what they could while they still had the chance. “Just because we _don’t_ participate in domestic duties does not mean we _can’t_ , love.”

“Always full of surprises, baby.” Nick set their bag on the seat of the glider on the porch and turned to put both arms around Zeg, pulling them close. “Just stay here and stay quiet and stay _safe_. Please. I need you to be safe.”

“Of course, love.” Zeg whispered, lips still grazing his. “Just hurry back to me. You’ve been gone so much since Ultron.”  
____

Laura excused herself from the living room to resume tidying the kitchen. She was _fairly_ certain the sheets on the guest bed were clean; she made a mental note to check them again before Zeg turned in for the night. As she scooped mixing bowls back into the cabinet, she heard Cooper and Lila settle down in the next room to begin asking those questions the introductions hadn’t answered. They wanted to know things like where Zeg was from: The Netherlands, apparently, but living primarily in Denmark. How their hair was so very, very black: simply a matter of picking the right person to keep it that way. And what the children should call them.

“Since we call Mr. Nick ‘Mr. Nick.’” Cooper said solemnly.

Zeg’s laugh rang out, rich and vibrant, and Laura’s breath caught for a moment, wondering when the last time her house had sounded so _alive_. Probably before Clint had left. Definitely while Clint was there the last time. Everything was brighter when Clint was there. And he was supposed to _be_ there, now. Now that he’d left the Avengers and SHIELD far behind. Or so he said.

Her attention turned back to the cabinets just in time to hear Lila ask, “Are you a boy or a girl?”

Before Laura could stand up to apologize for the rudeness of the question, Zeg’s warm laugh again filled up the space. “We’re neither, lamb. Although sometimes we can be one, and sometimes we’re the other.”

“You talk funny,” Cooper interjected, and Laura put a hand over her face, shaking her head.

“Yes,” Zeg answered firmly, content and self-assured. “And let us tell you a secret.” There was a pause and the rustle of clothing, the squeak of someone sliding off the couch. “It’s an affectation, which means we have to work very hard at it some days.”

Lila, not to be put off, returned to her previous line of questioning. “Okay, but… Mr. Nick is a man.”

“Yes, he most certainly is,” Zeg said easily, and Laura jerked her mind back from the images _that_ conjured.

“So are you a girl when you’re with him?” Lila wanted to know. 

Laura rose, peering over the counter to see Zeg seated on the floor with Lila leaning against their knee and Cooper kneeling near their other side. Baby Nat had crawled across the floor and was pulling at Zeg’s hand, fat fingers exploring the jewels that decorated their rings. As she watched, Zeg’s arm looped out to gather him in close and pull him into their lap, hand resting where he could easily keep pulling on the gems.

“Do you want to know what’s magic about Mr. Nick?” Zeg asked, leaning forward to get their head lower, folding up to make themself fit into the group of children.

Cooper and Lila both nodded, eyes wide and intent. 

“Mr. Nick is a very special kind of person.” Zeg’s face softened into a tender smile, eyes going distant and warm. “With Mr. Nick, we don’t have to _try_ to be anything. When Mr. Nick is around, we can simply be ourself. However we feel at any time. And he loves us anyway. That’s a very rare and precious thing, and if you ever find someone like that, try to keep them around. Because those are the best people in the world.”

Laura closed her eyes against a sudden welling of tears. She didn’t know what about those words tugged at her, making her heart ache and making the quiet longing that so often lodged in her throat grow and try to choke her. She shook it off as quickly as it had hit and stepped around to lean against the doorway.

“Kids, why don’t you leave Zeg alone to start getting settled in. Go play.” Laura smiled at them, and they jumped up, racing away to thunder up the stairs toward their rooms. “You’re better with them than Nick said.”

“We like children.” Zeg said it easily, still sitting on the floor, but leaning back until their shoulders rested easily against the edge of the couch cushions. “Their questions are curious, rather than invasive.”

“Any of your own?” It was a prying question, but Laura wondered, _had_ to know. What could make someone that glamorous so soft, so easy with her babies? How did they survive out there, with someone like Nick in their life? How did _he_ keep those he loved safe?

“The irony is that we can neither father nor mother children, no matter what the configuration of our parts.” Zeg sighed heavily and leaned forward, elbows on their knees and chin resting on their folded hands. “It always seemed unnecessarily cruel. But our life hasn’t left much room for a family. Of any sort.” They gave a soft, considering hum. “Nicholas didn’t tell us he had this, had _you_ here.”

Their eyes darkened with sadness so quickly that the invitation came out impulsively:

“You’re welcome any time. With or without him.”

"Thank you, Laura." Zeg smiled crookedly up at her from where they still sat cross-legged on the floor. "But we don’t know how much we could possibly get away. Our business doesn't let us stay away long."

"Business?" Laura’s heart stuttered before setting up a faster pace. What vocation could the lover of the Boss Spy have? What could lead them out into the world?

"Didn't Nick tell you?” Zeg’s smile turned mischievous. “We are the other side."

It took weeks before Laura managed to parse all the levels of complication inherent in that statement. And, when she finally decided that Zeg could be nothing _but_ the head of a criminal organization, she laughed to herself for days at the perfection of the situation. Nick Fury could have no one that couldn’t care for themself, and Zeg could be with no one that was not their absolute equal.

She also wondered if it was the kind of career where you had to get in on the ground floor.

____

The sudden explosion of swearing did not particularly bother Zeg. In their experience, anyone, even a charming and gentle mother of three, would curse like a sailor with the right provocation. No, what really surprised Zeg was the creative and far-reaching nature of the things and people that Laura targeted with her vitriol. She damned several generations of Sears salesmen, the bulk of the Avengers, an interesting variety of manufacturers both domestic and foreign, her husband, herself, and, strangest of all, a bucket full of shit. 

Nine days of being cut off from the world had left Zeg lazy and indolent, most of their time spent flopped about reading or sitting on the porch, keeping an eye out to prevent the baby from eating grasshoppers. Still, that level of anger required investigation, so Zeg rolled easily to their feet from where they lay on the sofa, dropping a slip of paper decorated with Lila's crayon cat into their book. The book itself was placed gently on the edge of a shelf, out of reach of the baby, before they went to investigate the source of Laura's anger.

“Laura, darling?” Zeg stuck their head cautiously around the doorframe to the crowded little laundry room. She’d stopped spitting curses and gone to hitting something metallic with a force that spoke of increasing anger, rather than a release of tension. Zeg worried that missiles would soon start flying. “What’s-- Oh, my DARLING!”

Laura looked up with red-rimmed eyes, and Zeg froze for just a moment when they saw the brighter, wet red running up her arm. They dropped to their knees at her side, catching the hand that dripped blood across the floor. There was a smear on the handle of the wrench that dropped from Laura’s suddenly nerveless fingers when Zeg’s palm cupped her wrist.

“It’s broken. There’s a belt… It’s broken! I can’t… The diapers! And Clint’s not…” Laura's breath began to catch in her throat. “The kids’ll be out of clothes by the time I can get to… And there’s no way to fix it. Two hours driving… And I can’t--!”

Zeg scooped her into their arms, ignoring the blood that smeared across their blouse as Laura clutched at them, heaving great, gasping sobs that sounded like they came from her soul. Seeing such a lovely, strong, hard person reduced to this small heap of shaking limbs and snot tore at Zeg’s heart, and they patted her shoulder and smoothed over her hair, shushing gently, rocking her softly. After a few moments of crooning reassurances in French, Laura's crying settled into soft hiccups and sniffles.

“Come along, darling. Let’s get this hand cleaned up, and then we’ll make you a cup of tea.” Zeg stood, easily hauling Laura to her feet as they went. “And then you will tell us what is wrong and how we can fix it, and then…” They trailed off. _And then we will have words for Nicholas about how incredibly foolish it is to leave someone_ stranded _so far away from life._ Their lips tightened, nostrils flaring against the sudden urge to leave, to run, to go _home_ to their cramped little flat and the crowded streets of Copenhagen.

Laura submitted to Zeg gently washing her hand in the kitchen sink, and then pointed out the first aid kit. She sat, silent but for a few shaky sniffles, as Zeg disinfected and bandaged the gash across the meat of her thumb. They left her sitting at the kitchen table to go rifle through the cabinets, searching for tea. In one corner, they discovered a good bottle of whiskey, and, shrugging lazily, pulled it out to add to the tea. With a careful check behind them to make certain Laura was looking the other way, they gulped a shot straight from the bottle.

After several minutes, the tea was finally ready to Zeg’s exacting standards, sporting a thick curl of cream and a generous dollop of _medication_. Zeg pulled out the chair beside Laura and sat down. They pressed the mug into her uninjured palm and gently cradled the bandaged hand in theirs.

“Now go,” they told her firmly.

“Go?” Laura looked up at them with wide, confused eyes.

“All of those things you never get to say out loud, all of those words you swallow,” Zeg said. “This is your chance. We’re listening, and we’ll hear you. So go.”

Laura went. 

She began with how hopeful she’d been when Nathaniel was born, after Ultron, when Clint came home and said he was hanging up his bow. How she’d _believed_ him, that it was over, and they would soon be moving back to civilization. Back to where her children could attend school with other children their own age, could have friends and parties and experience the world, instead of staying hidden away from it. 

And then Clint had told her there was still too much information about him out there, what with the dumping of SHIELD’s files onto the internet and pictures of the Avengers. It wasn’t safe, he said. So they stayed, and she was content to stay-- mostly-- because at least _this_ time Clint was staying with her. 

Of course he didn’t stay. He went to train the next generation of superheroes. Of _course_ he did, because that was his life and his job and if Steve called and said _Assemble_ , Clint would only ask where. He would go. And he would do it to protect the children, but he never thought of all the other things they needed protection from. Like being trapped on a farm with hardly a connection to the outside world. And a broken washing machine that would need a part, but there was no repairman to come to the rescue, to be _her_ hero. 

And sometimes she just wished… Sometimes she wished...

She trailed off, unable to voice that last thought, and Zeg patted her hand again, handing her a cloth napkin to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.

“Of course, darling.” They hugged her gently before getting up to make her a second cup of tea, adding an even healthier slug of whiskey and pouring themself a generous dollop into a purple plastic glass. “And after you finish your tea, go to your room, take off your shoes, and _sleep_.”

Laura looked up, nearly herself again but for the bloodshot eyes and swollen nose. “It’s almost time for supper.”

“We have supper. And the children,” Zeg told her firmly. “Go sleep.”

And Laura, looking relieved at not having to make a decision, just this once, went.

____

The next morning, Laura woke up refreshed for the first time in… Well, she didn’t remember the last time morning came with a smile instead of a groan. The baby had slept through the night, for a magical change, and he pushed himself up, blinking awake, as she watched the sunlight glitter in his hair. 

“Hey, Nathaniel!” She sat up and stretched before climbing out of bed to collect him for a kiss before perching him on her hip. She bobbed around the room, humming softly to him, laughing when he giggled

Supper had been good the night before, filling, seasoned more delicately than Laura knew how to make it. Clearly Nick was lying about Zeg’s abilities in the kitchen. And the children had been happy and busily engaged in drawing pictures and writing stories when Laura had woken from her nap. After they had finished eating, Zeg had hustled her back to bed before she’d even gotten a start on the dishes. The murmur of voices and the clink of stoneware from below as she’d pulled on a nightgown clearly indicated that Zeg had coerced the kids into helping them clean up from supper.

Laura changed the baby and dressed before padding down the stairs to check the results of their work. Not that she found herself caring too much. Someone else had taken the responsibility, and that was enough.

In the kitchen every counter gleamed. The children were awake and breakfasting, and Lila's long hair was twisted into an elaborate braid.

“Mom,” Cooper said, his voice as serious as always; that one was her child more than Clint’s, for certain. “Can Zeg stay with us? Like forever?”

“Yeah, Mama!” Lila wiggled in her chair at the table, bowl of cereal directly under her chin. “I want Zeg to stay! We got the best stories last night!”

Zeg ruffled both heads affectionately. “We’re sorry, lambs. We can’t stay. Nick needs us back home. And our job needs us. And sometimes… Sometimes there are other people that need us just as much.”

“Are you a superhero like Daddy and Auntie Nat?” Lila’s eyes were wide and wondering.

Laura smiled, pulling one crooked ponytail. “Of course they are, Liles. Of course.”

Zeg's cheeks brightened with a pleased blush, and Laura warmed to her toes at the brightness of their smile. "Thank you, darling. Not, perhaps, accurate. But we appreciate your confidence."

Laura opened her mouth to reply, but became distracted by a very _familiar_ sound.

“Is that… Is that the washing machine?” Laura plopped Nat in his high chair and nearly tripped in her hurry to look through the doorway to the laundry room. There was no trace of the string of mechanical innards that she’d left on the floor. The blood had all been wiped from the floor and the front panel of the machine. All the tools were neatly tucked into the tote where they belonged. And the _washing machine was finishing the spin cycle_. 

“Diapers don’t wash themselves.” Zeg appeared at her elbow so suddenly that they might have apparated there. “And we have very _silent_ resources.”

Laura spun and flung herself into their arms, wrapping her own tightly around their skinny waist. The thickness in her throat wouldn’t allow her to say thank you, so she tried to squeeze her gratitude into their body.

____

Supper had nearly ended that night when a soft noise from the porch catapulted Zeg out of their chair and through the house. They ripped the front door open and had their arms out before their brain had caught up with their ears. Nick stepped into their embrace, holding them tight against his chest. His lips traced the socket of their eye, and his fingers gripped their back, digging into the dips along their spine.

“Hullo, baby.” Nick whispered the words into their skin, nosing down the side of their neck as if he was checking that the scent of them matched his memory. “What? What’s that?”

“No more. No more. No more.” Zeg heard their own voice repeating the words, over and over, in every language they knew as their fingers slid over Nick’s smoothly shaved scalp and burrowed under the high collar of his uniform shirt, wiggling deeper to find his pulse. They eventually had to bite their tongue to stem the tide of begging.

“You’re trembling, baby.” Nick’s voice was soft and rough. He walked Zeg backwards toward the door, pulling the screen out of the way to shunt them through, out of the night. “It’s okay. Threat’s neutralized. Team’s fine.”

“As if _that_ is our concern, Nicholas Joseph Fury!” Zeg trembled at their sudden, blazing anger. “As if we doubted that you could contain so plebian a threat! As if we were _ever_ afraid or felt the need to be hidden away!”

“What? Baby! I couldn’t take that chance!” Nick pulled them closer as they stiffened in his arms, drawing themself up to their full height. He nuzzled in against the wide neck of their blouse, his lips seeking the soft skin in the places that he knew undid them.

“Nick, lover, you promised us.” Zeg sighed, feeling the tension unwind from their spine as his hands spread across their lower back. “You said we two would face threats. Together. To watch each other’s back. Love, you _know_ we can look after ourself.”

“I do know that, Z.” Nick lifted his teeth from where they gazed over the thin skin of their collarbone. “But this time the threat was from _my_ world, and there was no need for you to be in danger.”

Zeg finally leaned in for a real kiss, sighing in bliss as their mouth met his. The kiss remained tender and chaste, a simple press of lips to lips, but it soothed them both. Zeg pulled back just far enough to tilt their forehead against his.

“Just don’t… don’t do that again, love,” they told him seriously. “If you wanted us to meet Laura darling, all you had to do was ask me to come here with you.”

"I should have brought you to meet my family sooner," Nick whispered, wearing his apology in his eye.

The children and Laura swarmed into the living room, eager for their own hugs, and Nick smiled contentedly as he complied. Zeg stood back, watching their reunion with an odd sense of gratitude at being included in the general happiness.

Nick shared the full-size guest bed with Zeg that night, worshipping their skin under the faded quilts, touching and tasting, reconnecting through pleasure as Zeg bit their lips to stifle their cries. After seeing to their satisfaction, Nick braced himself over them, thick arms pinning them in place as he chased his own pleasure against their sweat-slick hip.

As they lay together in the aftermath, legs tangled and hands still soothing each other's heated skin, Zeg finally brought up their earlier anger.

"Why would you leave her here, love?" They propped their cheek on one fist, looming over Nick in the moonlit darkness. "With no one but you or her husband to provide support. You know I love you, but you're terribly impractical about running away to save the world without making certain everything is ready."

"It was the only way Barton could keep her safe." Nick shrugged one-shouldered; Zeg had his other side pinned to the bed. "I did my best to give him what he asked for."

"This is not the only way to keep someone safe, love." Zeg laid their face on the broad spread of his chest, pulling the quilt higher when they found it growing cool as the sweat dried. "It might have been logical at the time, but you should have given her some kind of support network."

"The more people who knew, the higher the danger." Nick tangled his fingers in Zeg's hair, gently scratching their scalp, and they snuggled more tightly against him.

Zeg thought of how they had felt, cloistered away for only nine short days. They thought of a broken washing machine and the way the delivery woman had sworn at the roads as she handed over the replacement belt. They thought of beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the mountains and the ease of breathing under the endless sky. And they thought of Laura's breakdown and wondered where it all ended.

Nick tugged at Zeg's shoulder until they uncurled enough for him to kiss their mouth, and then they folded back together, facing one another and settling into a shared embrace.

"Love you, baby." Nick kissed them again and closed his eyes. "We'll talk about it in the morning."

"No need, love." Zeg closed their eyes, too. "It was just on our mind for the moment."

They drifted to sleep, still holding each other tightly.

____

Laura watched the goodbyes between her children and Zeg, only half listening as Nick filled her in on the training at the Avengers Initiative. She knew most of what he told already from Clint's nightly phone calls. The conversation the night before had been particularly painful, hearing the bed frame creak and the groaning springs on the mattress in the guest room. She'd tried not to listen for any other sounds, but the obvious familiarity of Nick and Zeg's touch made her prickly and jealous.

Zeg kissed each child on the cheek before rising elegantly to their feet and picking up Laura's phone. They pulled up her contacts and typed in information quickly. Nick was engaged in his own goodbye with Laura's brood when Zeg finally handed the phone to her.

On the screen was an entry labeled "Fate" and bearing two numbers.

"The first number should reach us, anywhere in the world." Zeg spoke softly, back turned toward Nick. "Should we not answer in an emergency, call the second and ask for Eugenie. Follow whatever instructions you are given, and we will be with you as quickly as we can."

Laura nodded stiffly as a sense of numbness washed over her fingers and her lips.

"We will provide your children safe passage to anywhere," they told her gently. "Anywhere in the world, darling. Whether for a vacation or for... any other reason."

"And me?" Laura whispered.

Zeg smiled warmly and reached out to draw Laura in for a tight hug. They leaned down, engulfing her in their arms. "That always includes you, darling."

Nick interrupted then, for his own hug, and Laura thumbed the button to send her phone screen to black. She didn't know if Nick and Zeg were the kind of couple who told each other everything, but she rather doubted it. Besides, this was not Zeg's secret: this one was all Laura's. 

Zeg winked at her from behind Nick's back, and Laura knew she'd read the situation right.

"Are you... Please come back soon." Laura spoke to both of them, but her eyes lingered on Zeg's thin face. "Any time."

Zeg hugged her again as soon as Nick stepped back. They pressed their lips against her cheek in a cool kiss. "As soon as we are able. Or as soon as you need us."

Nick collected Zeg's luggage and reached for their hand. They edged out the front door and down the porch steps, heading across the lawn to where the quinjet sat, a small black speck at the edge of sight. Twice along the way, Zeg's head turned, black hair shifting to fair skin, looking at Laura as she stood on the porch, children clustered around her. 

Laura didn't move until the engines reached their peak roar and the jet began to lift away from the crushed, dying weeds. She lifted her hand, half wave, half salute.

Zeg had to know what they'd given her: an escape hatch. A way out. A path to freedom. Something to provide just enough strength, enough courage, to stick it out a little bit longer.

She was very grateful.

**Author's Note:**

> As ever, feel free to come play on my blog, [Intentionally Untitled](http://faeleverte.tumblr.com). You're always welcome there, and you're always welcome to just shoot me a note to say hi. 
> 
> Make sure to go give some love to my wonderful beta, [Selana](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Selana/pseuds/Selana), and check out her naughty, filthy, incredibly fun Bad Ideas Series (FrostIron) while you're there!
> 
> Thanks again for reading.


End file.
